How to Make a Tissue Paper Photo Backdrop for Parties

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Here’s a DIY photo backdrop that packs a major punch and can be used again and again! The most important component of this project is this photo backdrop frame, which is such a great tool to have in your arsenal. We use ours all the time in the studio, for so many various backdrops and projects. A great little investment for under $50! And now, here’s how to make a tissue paper photo backdrop for parties!

My pal Chris at 25th Hour Films is an absolute genius of a doll of a human. And he’s to thank for that super rad video.

How to Make a Tissue Paper Photo Backdrop for Parties

Materials

Make Time: 3 Hours

Step 1: Start by cutting your tissue paper. We used 6 packages of tissue paper that each had 48 sheets, 20×30 inches. We cut each sheet into quarters.

Step 2: Set up your photo backdrop so that it’s at least 8 feet tall and 7 feet wide. Cut your chicken wire to your desired size (our backdrop was 7 feet by 5 feet). Attach the chicken wire to the frame with zip ties, placing a zip tie every foot or two along all edges.

Step 3: Decide the color arrangement that you’d like for your tissue paper. We did an ombré arrangement, but the sky’s the limit, so use your imagination! Plan accordingly depending on where you would like each color. Start stuffing your tissue! We found it easiest to grab the tissue in the middle of the piece, pinch/twist in the middle, and stuff that into the chicken wire. Once the piece is firmly tucked into one of the holes in the chicken wire, fluff up the outer pieces of the tissue paper so that they’re full and ruffly.

Step 4: Continue stuffing! As you work, it helps a lot to step back and look at the backdrop as a whole to get some perspective. Let that guide your color decisions, and keep stepping back every so often to make sure it’s taking shape in the way that you want it to. Keep stuffing tissue until it’s completely full!

A few notes. We’ve gotten lots of questions about moving the backdrop. I think it would probably be the easiest to make this project in the location where it will ultimately be displayed. That being said, I think you could probably create it offsite, then cut the chicken wire free from the frame and gently roll it up with the tissue facing the center of the roll. Cover it with a sheet or a tarp for transportation, and then once at the location, reattach it to the frame with zip ties. You’ll most likely lose some pieces of tissue paper along the way, but they’ll be simple enough to stuff back in.

And there you go: how to make a tissue paper backdrop for parties! We’ve had dozens of people try this project, and it turns out great every time! If you try it, be sure to send us a photo of your creation to [email protected] And for more of our photo backdrop ideas, head right over here! xoxo